1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a napkin dispenser which receives, holds and dispenses a stack of folded napkins, which commonly is used on a counter or tabletop in lunchrooms or restaurants.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently, several different types of napkin dispensers are available on the market in which a drawer is used to hold a stack of identical napkins in position within a space to be removed by the user from the dispenser through an opening in the front panel. Generally the drawer fits into a cabinet or housing which encloses the stack of napkins. A spring biased plate urges the napkins to the front of the drawer so that they may be removed through the opening by the user. To load the dispenser, the user pulls the drawer forwardly from the housing, and inserts a stack of napkins into the drawer, and then pushes the drawer back into the housing. This type of napkin dispenser is shown generally in U.S. Pat. No. 3,214,227 to Filipowicz, U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,7482 Koerper et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,001 to Filipowicz et al.
Very often the individual refilling the napkin dispenser will overfill the dispenser, hoping that the dispenser will not have to be refilled again soon. However, problems often occur when napkin dispensers are overfilled. First, a user often will find it difficult to remove a napkin from the dispenser. Additionally, as the forwardmost napkin is being removed, very often the friction between the adjacent napkins will cause several napkins to come out of the dispenser, instead of just one. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,001 to Filipowicz et al. discloses a napkin dispenser which includes a lever pivotally mounted on the push plate which pivots downwardly when the drawer is moved forwardly in the housing, and upwardly when the drawer is closed. When the lever is in its upward position, the push plate is prevented from moving to its rearmost position. When the drawer is closed so that the lever is in its upward position, the push plate is allowed to move to its rearward position so that the space in which the napkins are stored increases, thereby decreasing the pressure on the napkins.
Nevertheless, there still remains a need for napkin dispeners which increase the space for napkins when the drawer is in its closed position, thereby making individual removal of napkins easy despite the overfilling of the napkin dispenser with a stack of napkins.